Automobile bumper



Jan 11, 1927.

F. LAHER" AUTOMOBILE BUMPER Fild Feb. 2s, 192e we z .zx o l@ .WM Lung 4 wfll Mw..

TIMEX- F1E E Patented Jan. 11, 1927.

UNITED STATES FRANK J'. LAHER, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

`AUTOMOBILE nuMPER.

Application filed February 23, 1926. Serial No. 90,006.

This invent-ion relates generally to bumpers for automobiles orother vehicles.

The ,ordinary automobile bumper' comprises an impactrmember inthe form Vof I one or more horizontal bars which are mounted in operative positionl by meansof one or more support-l members. It. must .have sufficient strength to withstand severe impact forces and-at the same time must have sufficient resilience or give7 to absorb the energy of such impacts. yIn case an impact is concentrated near the center of the bumper, the impact bars areapt to be permanently bent inwardly unless they are reinforced'at this point orare made of excessively heavy material. This is especially true ofa bumper in whichv the supporting means comprises two separate members which are not interconnected.

It is an object yof this invention to devise a bumper which will withstand heavy impacts concentrated near the center of the same.

It is a further object of this invention to 55 devise a bumper which will withstand and v absorb heavy impact forces but which can be made of relatively light material and is therefore cheap to manufacture.

Further objects of this invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments ofthe invention have been set forth.

Referring to the drawings: 1 Figure 1 is a plan view showing one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a modification of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the bumper shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the indentations on the impact bars for engaging the anchoring clamps.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the clamp- 9 member 10 having connectedvthereto a pair of support bars 11. .The impact member is preferably constructed of a plurality. of vertically spaced impact bars which are retained in spaced relationship by suitable means such asanchoring clamps 14. In the bumper shown in Fig. leach end ofthe impactV member is formed with a rearwardly curved portionl and corresponding ends of the bars 12 and 13 have formed on their ends the eyes 17 and 18. The outer end'. of eachsupport bar 11 has formed thereon' an eye 19 adapted to'reg'ister with the eyes 17 and 18 to receive a pinor Vbolt 20 which pivotally 'connects togetherthe im-4 pact member to the support members.` The inner end of each support bar 11 has a forwardlyextending portion 22 having itsend connected` to one of the clamps 14, the clamps 14 being located at spaced pointsint-ermediatethe ends of thefimpact member. A pair of clamps 23 serve to secure the support jbars to the brackets 24 which in turn are secured to the frame of an automobile, thus clamps 14 and has its intermediate portion bent rearwardly and spaced from the' impact bars. A rigid-spacer28 is also inserted between the centralportion of the truss bar 26 and the impact bars 12 andv 13. In Fig. 8 one form of separator is shown which comprises a U-shaped memberl 28 having a head 2S) which is provided with a pressed-out projection 30 adapted to engage in an indentation 31 in the bar 26. The extremities 32.5A are similarly provi'ded Awith pressed-out projections 33 which engage indentatious 34 in the impact bars 12 and 13. Vith this construction the separator is retained in position without resorting to boltsor other special fastening devices. In the construction shown in Fig. '9 the separator comprises a U-shaped member 34 which is somewhat similar to the U-shaped member 28 but which is retained in position by means of a bolt 35 extending through the truss bar 2G loo and bolts 3b' which secure the extremities of vthe U-shaped member to the impact bars 1.2

and 13.

Since the compressional stresses against the truss bar may be relatively great, it is necessary to employ a special form of anchoring clamps 14 to prevent relative movement between the ends of the bar 26 and the impact member. One form of clamp which may be employed is illustrated in Fig. i and comprises front and rear felamping plates 38 and 39 which are secured together by means of the clamping bolt 40, this bolt also preferably serving to secure the end of the truss bar 26 and the' inturned portion 22 to the anchoring clamps. The plate 3S is provided with a central 'spacci' i1 and lugs A4t2 which serve to engage and retain the impact bars 12 and 1'3in spaced relationship. The clamping plate 39 interlocks the impact bars by means of the pressed-out projections ,.3 which extend into inden'tations Liet in the impact bars thus effectively insuring against displacement of the anchoring clamps. A moditied form of anchoring clamps is shown in Fig. 7 in which a single plate 46 is bolted to thel impact. bars by means of bolts 4t? and 4i8 and has its central' portion s cured to bars 22l and 26 by means of a central bolt 49.

TWhen the bumper described above receives an'evenly distributed forwardy impact the bar portion 22 will be placed under compression and will buckle a certain amount, thus allowing the bumper to give7 and absorb the energy of the impact. If a concentrated impact is received tending to bend the central portion of the impact member inwardly, the truss bar 26 will be placed under tension and the central portion of the impact bars 12 and 13 between the anchoring clamps 14 will be placed under coin-pression. The interlocking nature of the anchoring clamps 14 makes it possible for them to withstand the strain imposed by the tensioned stresses in the truss bar 26.

In the modiiication of the invention shown in F ig. 2 the support bars 111-1 each have their outer ends formed with an open'loop 50, the

vextremity of which is pivotally secured to the impact member 110 by means of piu 20. The inner end of each support bar is provided wit-h an inner looped portion 122 which extends forwardly and has its extremity secured to the anchoring hclamps 14. The truss bar 26 and separator' 27 function the same in this modification as in the construction previously described. However, the nature of the loops 50 and 122 permits more give to the impact members.

As the impact'bars of this bumper are reinforced by members which resist impact forces principally by compressional and tensional stresses, thesev reinforcing members may be made of relatively light material. Furthermore the use of the truss bar 26 makes it possible for the bumper to 'withstand impacts concentrated near the center of the same even though the impact bars 12 and 13 may be of relatively light construction.

I claim: Y

1. Ain automobile bumper comprising impact and support members forming open looped ends, means for reinforcing the intermediate portionv of the impact member comprising a member having its ends anchored to the impact member at spaced intermediate points and spaced rearward of the central portion of the impact member and adapted to resist inward flexing of the same by tensional stresses, and a separator interposed between said last named member and the iin-pact member.

2. Anautomobile bumper comprising an impact member, a pair of spaced support bars adapted to be mounted (man automobile, the outer ends of said bars bei-ng secured to corresponding ends of said' impact member, the inner ends of said bars being bent forwardly and secured to thev impactmember at spaced intermediate points, and a truss member connecting sa'id points and ada )ted toA resist bending of that portion of the impact member' between said' poi-nts.

3. An automobile bumper comprising an impact member, a, pair of spaced'support bars adapted to be lmounted" yony anl automobile, the vouter ends of said bars being secured to corresponding ends of said impact member, the inner ends of said bars being bent' forwardly and secured' to the impact member lat spaced intermediate points, and a truss bar having its ends anchored to the impact member at said points and having its central portion bent rearwardly.

4;. An automobile' bumper comprising an impact linember, a pair of spacedI support bars adaptedI tobe mounted" on an automobile, the outer ends Iof- 'said bars being secured to corresponding ends 'of said impact member, the inner ends of saidbars 'being bent forwardly and secured to the' impact-meinber at spaced intermediate points, a truss bafr having its ends anchored to the impact member at said points and having its central portion bent rearward y, and a spacer positioned betweeny the central portion of the truss bar and the impact member.

An automobile bumper comprising an impact member, a pair of spaced support bars adaptedl to be mounted on: an automobile,- the outer end'swof said bars being secured to corresponding ends of said impact member, the inner ends of said bars being bent forwardly adjacent the impact member, a pair of clamps anchored to! said im pact member at spaced intermediate points. means for anchoring the inner ends of' said support bars to said clamps, and` av truss bar having its ends anchored to said clamps,

CII

said truss bar having its central portion bent rearwdrdly.

(5. An automobile bumper' comprising impact and support members, said support members comprising a pair of bars having open looped ends pivotally Secured to the impact member, Said support bars being eX- tended inwardly and secured to said impact member.

7. An automobile bumper comprising impact and support members forming open looped ends, means for reinforcing the impact member at spaced intermediate portions, and means for reinforcing the central portion of the impact member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK J. LAI-IER. 

